Wisconsin still has one spot to fill on their roster.
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The Wisconsin Badgers have had quite the offseason so far, replacing their six departing seniors with a bevy of players from the transfer portal and overseas.
The Badgers landed three early transfers: San Diego State guard Nick Boyd, Portland forward Austin Rapp, and Virginia wing Andrew Rohde.
Then, they got another big, signing Lithuanian forward Aleksas Bieliauskas, before wrapping things up with Tulsa guard Braeden Carrington.
Those five additions, along with a three-player 2025 recruiting class, join returners John Blackwell, Nolan Winter, Jack Janicki, Riccardo Greppi, Jack Robison, and walk-on Isaac Gard.
That totals 14 players, meaning Wisconsin still has one spot to fill for their 2025-26 team. Earlier in the month, head coach Greg Gard indicated that the final spot would be a scholarship player, not a walk-on, with the team evaluating their options.
“We’ll see where that all lands here, depending on what the Judge approves,” Gard said about the impending settlement that would keep roster limits at 15 players. “We are planning it at 15, and if we can expand, we will. We will get that answer from the ruling, but we are at 14 right now.
“We are still actively recruiting another spot, so we will add one more. I don’t know when. But, we are in that process of continuing to add as we move forward. Don’t know yet, [but] likely [a] scholarship [player] is what we are having some conversations about with quite a few people. But, just making sure it is fit, and a lot of things that are in play.”
Still, over three weeks later, the Badgers have yet to add their 15th and final player, so let’s look at the roster and see which position needs the most help.
Guards: Nick Boyd, John Blackwell, Braeden Carrington, Zack Kinziger, Isaac Guard
Wings: Andrew Rohde, Jack Janicki, Hayden Jones, Jack Robison
Forwards: Austin Rapp, Aleksas Bieliauskas
Centers: Nolan Winter, Riccardo Greppi, Will Garlock
This is how Wisconsin’s current roster looks. Boyd and Blackwell will be the team’s backcourt, splitting point guard duties, with the former likely being the lead on-ball option.
Behind them, there’s depth with Carrington and Kinziger. The latter is the wild card, as he may force his way into the rotation, despite not potentially being physically ready just yet.
On the wing, Rohde seems slated to start, with Janicki being the lead player off the bench. Jones and Robison don’t seem ready to play just yet, although the fall will likely determine that prior to the season.
At forward, Rapp steps in as the main option, with the 19-year-old Bieliauskas being the top backup. It’s unclear what Bieliauskas’s readiness is, but he may be Wisconsin’s top frontcourt option behind Rapp and Winter, with Greppi not seeming ready yet and Garlock coming off an injury.
Winter now slides back to the center position with this current roster alignment, and Wisconsin will hope they have enough depth there with the trio of him, Rapp, and Bieliauskas.
There’s a clear effort to have five shooters on the court with how the frontcourt was assembled, but that may be the biggest position of need still for that final roster spot.
Centers are the hardest to land in the transfer portal, so it’d be very hard to get a starter with the remaining resources that Wisconsin has. But, a backup option that plays 10 minutes a night could be there. Or, if the Badgers are confident in Bieliauskas, they could add to their forward depth.
If there aren’t many frontcourt options, adding another point guard could still be an option. The Badgers’ depth in the backcourt is mainly off-ball players, such as Janicki, Kinziger, or Carrington. Getting another ball-handler would take some stress off Boyd and Blackwell.
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